CitytisticsShortlist

El Valle de Arroyo Seco, NM vs Traverse City, MI

El Valle de Arroyo Seco

New Mexico

vs

Traverse City

Michigan

Across 35 directional measures we can compare, El Valle de Arroyo Seco leads on 11 and Traverse City on 24. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 8% higher in El Valle de Arroyo Seco, while median household income is higher in Traverse City.

Median gross rent
$1,077$995
El Valle de Arroyo Seco is 8% higher
Median household income
$67,826$74,087
El Valle de Arroyo Seco is 8% lower
Median home value
$446,300$415,400
El Valle de Arroyo Seco is 7% higher

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $56,700 a year left in El Valle de Arroyo Seco and $64,400 in Traverse City. Money goes further in Traverse City, by about $7,700 a year.
  • A household earning El Valle de Arroyo Seco's median of $67,826 would need about $66,500 in Traverse City to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, rent and pay rose at about the same pace in El Valle de Arroyo Seco, and pay outran rent by 3.4 points a year in Traverse City.

How these are calculated

New MexicoMichiganTraverse City, MIEl Valle de Arroyo Seco, NMEl Valle de Arroyo SecoTraverse CityEl Valle de Arroyo SecoTraverse City

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 1 of 1 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Traverse City, MIComposite 60.9 / 100
78
51437642929456

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureEl Valle de Arroyo SecoTraverse CityAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,077$995
Rent to income119.1%16.1%
Property tax rate10.5%1.1%
Home price to income16.6x5.6x
Prices vs US average298.893.4
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,735$1,436
HUD area median income4$118,600$113,900
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$2,152$4,671
Median home value1$446,300$415,400
Home prices, 1-year change50.8%4.4%
Home prices, 5-year change548.3%69.0%
Homeownership187.6%63.7%
Renters paying 30%+10.0%49.7%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,033$1,817
Vacant homes110.2%15.2%
Median year built119841964
Jobs and income
Median household income1$67,826$74,087
Income per person1$33,691$53,432
Unemployment10.0%5.2%
Average annual pay6$64,379$61,366
Pay growth, 1 year65.2%3.6%
Jobs661,88052,238
Poverty rate112.0%12.3%
Mean commute124 min17 min
Works from home118.4%19.4%
Commutes by transit10.0%0.5%
People
Population11,29315,593
Population change since 20207n/a1.1%
Median age141.842.7
Bachelor's or higher146.1%47.4%
High school or higher176.4%96.8%
Household size12.02.1
Born abroad112.1%2.5%
No health insurance18.9%3.8%
Homes with broadband170.1%91.2%
Moving
Moved here in the past year15.8%7.2%
Moved from another state10.0%2.3%
Net movers per 1,000 people80.74.2
Income of households moving in8$93,607$92,255
Income of households moving out8$82,671$64,821
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k925.625.6
Shops per 10k950.858.2
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k910.06.9
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k928.630.4
Child care centers per 10k91.02.2
Parks per 10k100.046.2
Playgrounds per 10k100.043.0
Grocery stores per 10k100.07.0
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.098.1
Libraries per 10k100.02.6
Named paths and bike trails100.019.0
Transit stops per sq mi100.021.6
Nearest National Park Service site11n/a23.1
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11n/a1
National Register listings129713
Founded or incorporated13n/a1891
Safety
Violent crime per 100k14n/a582
Property crime per 100k14n/a740
Schools
Public schools154932
Public school students1519,95112,069
Students per teacher1514.016.8
Climate
July average high1685°F80°F
January average low1619°F14°F
Average temperature1650°F45°F
Annual precipitation1614.8 in33.0 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1786.065.7
Hurricane risk17n/a18.1
Tornado risk1724.543.0
Wildfire risk1798.231.0
Heat wave risk1753.033.5
Median air quality index184435
Good air days1878.4%91.1%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: El Valle de Arroyo Seco $43,080, Traverse City $39,800 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Wikidata · Wikimedia Foundation (CC0) · Retrieved 2026-11
  14. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  15. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  16. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  17. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  18. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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